Times of Change
by Ping-chan
Summary: AU. I/K Fifty years ago, the priestess Kikyo died, and the Shikon no Tama fell into the hands of the hanyou Inu-Yasha. Now, a young girl from a future time has the task of retrieving the jewel from him. *Incomplete*
1. Prologue

"Inu-Yasha!"  
  
He looked at the young woman in shock, and felt anger cloud his heart. He lifted his hand to touch the arrow briefly, and his eyes clouded over. "Damn you, Kikyo," he muttered to himself, as his eyes closed.  
  
The priestess lowered her bow and arrow, her features collapsing. "Inu- Yasha..." She dropped to her knees, and tried to ignore her grief as her sister and the villagers crowded around her. Her fingers touched her side, drawing away blood. She hesitated for a moment before drawing out the Shikon no Tama. "So much grief... All for this one thing..." she whispered to herself, blinking back tears.  
  
Kikyo straightened slightly, wincing at the pain as she did so. "Kaede, please." She held out the jewel towards her little sister. "Burn this with my remains."  
  
Tearfully, the young girl tried to deny her sister's coming demise. But as the villagers attempted to bear her back to the village, the priestess Kikyo died.  
  
***  
  
His ear twitched, and groggily, he swatted at a fly that had landed on it. Annoyed with himself, Inu-Yasha forced his mind to clear. He felt a slight pain in his shoulder, and as he glanced at his shoulder, he saw the arrow.  
  
His mind cleared instantly, and he remembered what had happened. With a growl, he yanked the arrow from the tree. For once in her life, Kikyo's aim had been off; the arrow had only nicked him as it hit the tree. The arrow shimmered and disappeared as he pulled it away. The last of his sleepiness wore off as the arrow disappeared.  
  
"Damn you, Kikyo!" He repeated his last words before his sleep, this time as a yell. They'd had an understanding... He hadn't thought she'd betray him like this. A hard look settled over Inu-Yasha's face, and he cracked his knuckles. She'd pay for that betrayal.  
  
***  
  
He hadn't thought he'd find the village in mourning, and Kikyo's body on a funeral pyre. The dog-demon watched from a tree as respects were paid, and prayers were said for the dead priestess. His expression softened slightly for a few moments as he watched.  
  
The Shikon no Tama lay in her hands. The pyre had yet to be lit; the elders were approaching with the torches now. Inu-Yasha glared down at the dead woman, all of his anger returning at the sight of the jewel. Even if she hadn't honored her end of the agreement, he would take the jewel. He jumped down before the pyre, and snatched the jewel from Kikyo's cold hands.  
  
It was easy enough to avoid the villagers' arrows and attacks; none of them were skilled in the art of fighting demons, as Kikyo had been. Clutching his prize, Inu-Yasha left civilization behind in the darkness of the forest. 


	2. Blast to the Past

"Ojii-chan," Kagome tried to attract her grandfather's attention, a slightly complaining note to her voice. "Could we not hear any more legends or histories, just for the next few days?" What a wonderful birthday present that would be, she thought wistfully. It'd be a great birthday if he'd only quit telling her legends for the rest of the day, she amended mentally.  
  
"Every part of this temple has its own story," he began, paying no heed to his granddaughter's request. "Take this, for example." He held up one of the charms he'd shown Kagome earlier. "The Shikon n-"  
  
Kagome gave up, and left with her grandfather still talking, scooping up Buyo as she left. Her grandfather was impossible. She pulled out the little charm he'd handed her earlier. "An 'authentic replication' of the Shikon no Tama, eh?" she said to Buyo, peering at the object. "I can't believe people would pay money for this marble." She stuck it back into her pocket. Perhaps she could use it as a keychain.  
  
Buyo yowled suddenly, and leaped from Kagome's arms. She groaned, and waved at her little brother. "Sota! Help me catch him!" The boy leaped up from his position on the temple steps, and ran after the cat. Kagome lost sight of them as they ran into the little building housing the old well.  
  
She found her brother staring apprehensively over the side of the dry well. "Where's Buyo?" she asked as she came up by him.  
  
Sota pointed down into the well. "He jumped down there." He gave his sister a worried look. "How are we going to catch him now?"  
  
Kagome gave him a slightly exasperated look. "Climb down there and pick him up. Boys are supposed to like climbing."  
  
Panic crossed his face. "B-but... It's dark down there. And then there are all the stories about monsters from this well," Sota protested, peering down into the well.  
  
Kagome sighed, and climbed over the edge. "Sheesh. Some boy you are," she teased as she dropped down to the bottom of the well. "You ought to know by now not to listen to Ojii-chan's stories." She landed a bit hard, but recovered after a second. She started looking for their cat. After a few moments, she frowned, and glanced back up at Sota. "Are you sure he jumped down here?" She didn't see anyplace a cat could hide in the tiny area.  
  
"Well, there were some noises coming from down there," he told her. "He should be down there."  
  
Kagome sweatdropped, and pointed. "Then what is Buyo doing sitting by you?" Sota smiled sheepishly, as he turned and saw the cat that had jumped up by him. She shook her head slightly, and grabbed a rung of the ladder.  
  
Something wasn't quite right, though. She shivered at the sudden cold, and stiffened as a cracking noise came from behind. Slowly, Kagome turned, sensing the eyes on her. Two glowing eyes, in fact. She couldn't make out the face, and she became slightly annoyed. If there had to be a monster down here, why did it have to be such a stereotype?  
  
"The jewel..."  
  
"Huh?" Kagome asked intelligently. Had the owner of the eyes just said something? What jewel were they talking about?  
  
"Give me to sacred jewel," it repeated, and through a crack in the well, the creature appeared.  
  
Kagome shrieked, and yelled at Sota to get their grandfather. How could a monster like this have suddenly appeared in their well? It was huge! It had the face and upper body of a woman, and the lower body of an enormous insect. A centipede perhaps, her mind sorted out. She glanced up at her little brother who was still frozen. "Sota! Go!"  
  
The creature noticed where her attention had focused, and made for him. "Hey!" Kagome lost a bit of her fear, and jumped towards the creature, trying to tackle it. Perhaps she could hold it off long enough for help to come... As she bounced against the monster's shell, the keychain-charm her grandfather had given her slipped out of her pocket.  
  
Noting the shine, the demon paused, then focused on the object. "The jewel," it repeated, and snatched at it.  
  
Kagome saw her chance to distract it, and quickly jumped down to grab the charm. She backed up against the ladder, praying that Sota was bringing back her grandfather. "Oh, is this what you were looking for, Mistress Centipede?" she asked, a jeering note in her voice. The creature glared at her, tensing. "A little bauble like this?" she taunted, getting a firm grip on the ladder.  
  
"The jewel!" it repeated yet again, and Kagome twirled, scrambling up the ladder. One of its multiple arms closed on her own, and she shrieked. "Let go!" the girl cried, and pushed at the creature.  
  
A light surrounded the two of them, startling Kagome, and she felt the creature release her. She fell to the bottom of the well, and winced as she landed on something hard. "Oww," she complained, and pulled herself to her feet. "Sota?" she called hesitantly. The centipede creature had disappeared, and she was ready to get out of this well.  
  
There was no answer, and she shrugged. She had told him to leave. As she looked around for the ladder, she groaned. Had he taken the ladder after she'd fallen? He shouldn't have been around then, but you never knew about little brothers. Kagome spotted something shining in the leaves, and scooped up the charm. "What is it about this stupid marble?" she muttered, and got to work climbing up the side of the well.  
  
She emerged, and flopped out onto the ground. Climbing up the well had been hard work, and she was glad to take a rest. After a moment, she flipped over onto her back, staring up at the sky.  
  
The sky? She sat up, staring. What had happened to the building? What had happened to all of the buildings? she amended as she finally noticed the landscape about her. The forest surrounding her did not belong in the middle of Tokyo. Where had Tokyo gone? 


	3. We're Not in Tokyo Anymore

She had to be lost, Kagome reasoned. She ignored the fact that Tokyo stretched for miles, and focused on the fact that she was in a forest. If she could just find some house, or a familiar landmark, she could figure out where she was. Hopefully, the little voice in the back of her mind ammended.  
  
Well, if this really was the Bone Eater's Well, she ought to head... Kagome closed her eyes, visualizing her home. It should be.. East! Kagome thought. Then she frowned. Well, whatever compass direction that was, her home should still be in that general direction. She set out, with a shrug.  
  
Just her luck, to have to go tromping around the woods in her school uniform. She winced as a branch caught her ankle, and scratched along the side of her leg. She glared at the small line of blood welling up, and quickened her pace. The sooner she got out of this place, the better. She paused a moment, and listened. Were those footsteps behind her? She turned around, her eyes widening as she tried to place the steps. She backed up against a large tree, just as an arrow smacked into it. "What are you doing out here?" a rough voice demanded.  
  
Kagome almost fainted. A group of men was surrounding her, wearing old- fashioned clothing and carrying arrows and spears. She cautiously held up her hands in surrendur, and prayed to God that they were, despite appearance, friendly.  
  
A shadow watched. He couldn't see the girl's face, as the villagers tied her hands, and her clothing was strange. But that scent... That faint aura of power... It had to be her. Had she lived, after all? He didn't see how it was possible. It had been years since that day, hadn't it?  
  
Time was a blur to the half-demon. He'd spent too many years in his forest, alone. Something had drawn him out; the Shikon no Tama had held a subtle difference. He'd thought that perhaps a new round of demons had come to challenge him, the possessor of the jewel. But perhaps it was calling to her.  
  
Could the jewel really be a thing for humans? Is that why he'd been unable to turn into a youkai after gaining the jewel? He wasn't sure anymore. He sighed, and the girl turned suddenly, as though hearing it. He stiffened, finally able to see her face. It was her, but it wasn't. A younger version of the priestess? Or just a subtly altered Kikyo? He didn't know.  
  
Moving silently, the hanyou followed.  
  
"We rarely have strangers in these parts," the old woman said, as she dished up a bowl of stew. "And you came through the well?"  
  
Kagome sighed. Her legs were falling asleep beneath her, but she adjusted, and answered the woman's questions yet again. "Yes. I went down into the well on my family's property to get our cat. Some strange thing attacked me, then disappeared, and when I climbed out, I was in the middle of a forest." She looked pleadingly at the old woman. "I know I sound crazy, but that's what happened."  
  
"Why did the demon attack you?" the woman asked, calmly placing the bowl before Kagome.  
  
"I don't know!" she exclaimed. "It seemed to think I had a jewel that it wanted." She thought a moment, trying to recall exactly what the creature had said. "It called it the 'Shikon no Tama.'" Kagome offered.  
  
The priestess started at the name, but calmed herself. "Why don't you eat?" she asked.  
  
Kagome gritted her teeth, and gave her a slightly annoyed look. "It'd help if you untied me."  
  
"Oh." She untied the young woman, and Kagome gratefully stretched, then began eating. As she ate, she learned the name of the woman, the village, and their relation to the jewel the demon had spoken of. "So Kikyo died, and this demon Inu-Yasha stole the jewel and disappeared with it," Kagome concluded at the end of Kaede's tale. "So why would that demon think that I had it?"  
  
Kaede looked grave and thoughtful, but made no answer. 


	4. Face to Face

"I don't understand a thing that's been happening," Kagome admitted to herself as she tried to get some sleep. Kaeded had convinced the villagers that she wasn't an evil spirit come to destroy them, despite her strange clothing and mannerisms, and they'd agreed to let her stay the night. They thought she dressed strangely? Kagome glanced down grumpily at her school uniform. It wasn't like this was her favorite outfit.  
  
What was going to happen to her tomorrow? Kaede had said she'd never heard of Tokyo. It had taken her some time, but Kagome had finally figured out where -or more acurrately, when- she was. She was in medieval Japan. She hadn't a clue how she was supposed to get back to the modern time. The only option that seemed available was the well. It had brought her here, so, logically, it ought to be able to bring her back. Unfortunately, traveling through time wasn't logical.  
  
She let an arm drop over her forehead, and stared up at the ceiling. She had to be going insane. When she woke up from this dream, she'd blackmail her grandfather into getting her therapy. Maybe the therapist would say all of his stories were a bad influence, and he'd have to quit recounting legends. Kagome brightened at the prospect of that.  
  
She'd been trying to get the uneasy feeling in the back of her mind to go away by thinking comforting thoughts of home and insanity. She gave up, though, and sat up as it didn't go away. Perhaps the situation was just eating on her nerves, but she had a hunch it was more than that. Her eyes were having a hard time adjusting; it never got this dark in the city. She shifted her gaze around the corners of the room, until it settled on an odd shadow. No, not a shadow. Something causing a shadow. She slowly rose, and hesitantly crossed to the corner.  
  
A blur of movement, and a hand was at her throat. In a manner of seconds, Kagome was flipped to the wall, and pinned there by the hand around her throat. She stared in horror as the creature opened it's eyes, a faint amber light in the darkness. "Kikyo," a deep voice growled quietly.  
  
She discovered she could breathe perfectly easily, but still tried to pry the hand away. "Who?" she gasped. Kikyo, Kikyo... Kaede had mentioned that name earlier. The priestess who'd died protecting the Shikon jewel. "I'm not Kikyo," she protested, trying to make out her captor's face in the darkness.  
  
"Are you telling me I don't know the woman who betrayed me?" he demanded menacingly. "How did you survive? Where have you been hiding?"  
  
Kagome's fingers were hurting from the attempt to scratch his hand away, and the grip around her throat was getting tighter every second. "My name is Kagome!" she told him, and desperately, tried to shove away the menacing eyes away from her.  
  
A glow, similar to the light that had appeared in the well, lit the room, and she saw her captor's startled face for the first time as he was shoved away. She heard a snapping sound, and instinctively, she reached out. A cool object fell into her hand, and she pulled it close, as the man crashed into the far wall. He was struggling to his feet, the room dark again, as Kaede and a few villagers burst in, bringing torches to light the room. "What is going on in here?" the priestess demanded, and her eyes fell on the figure getting to his feet. "Inu-Yasha..." 


	5. Osuwari!

Kagome gaped. "-That's- Inu-Yasha?" she asked, her voice incredulous. She hadn't expected the infamous half-demon Kaede had been explaining about to appear in her room. Nor had she expected him to look so... human. If it wasn't for the white hair... and the dog ears... he could be perfectly human.  
  
The petulant, sulky expression on his face certainly didn't make him seem a powerful demon. In fact, paired with the dog ears, he looked kind of cute, in a childish sort of way. His eyes flashed as he got to his feet, and he didn't look so cute anymore, and she remembered the feel of his hand around her throat. "Don't remember me, Kikyo?" he asked angrily, glaring at her. "I suppose you would want to block that memory."  
  
"I told you, my name is Kagome!" she yelled at him, anger making her momentarily forget the danger. "Ka-go-me!" she enunciated, her eyes daring him to get it wrong again.  
  
"Why have you returned, Inu-Yasha?" Kaede asked, as Inu-Yasha opened his mouth to speak again.  
  
He flashed her a dark look. "Who are you? You're being awfully familiar."  
  
"Don't recognize me?" she queried calmly. "I'm Kaede, Kikyo's younger sister."  
  
The hanyou looked startled, and peered at her, recognition dawning. "How'd you get so old? And how'd she stay so young?"  
  
"Fifty years does tend to age a person," Kaede commented dryly. "Have you lost all track of time in your forest? And she is not Kikyo, as she said. At least, not in memory."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Kagome and Inu-Yasha demanded in unison.  
  
Kaede smiled, and Kagome felt a bite of fear in her heart. "There may be something to the theory of reincarnation after all, wouldn't you say, Inu- Yasha?"  
  
Kagome interrupted before Inu-Yasha could comment. "Reincarnation? No way! I'm only Kagome; don't you tell me that I'm some dead woman reborn! I've got to get home to my family before Sota and Ojii-chan freak out!"  
  
Kaede didn't comment on her outburst, but only glanced at her clenched fists. "What do you hold in your hand, girl?"  
  
She started to tell her angrily that she held nothing, but then remembered the flying object she'd caught. She opened her first to reveal a marble, similar to the one the centipede demon had wanted from her. "Another one of these?" she asked in disgust.  
  
The half-demon was staring at the object in her hand, though, and his hand moved to his throat, seeking something. Not finding it, he turned an evil look on Kagome. "Give me back the Shikon no Tama!"  
  
Kagome blinked, and turned her gaze on the marble. "Huh? This is the -real- Shikon no Tama?" she asked.  
  
"Don't let him have it!" Kaede shouted in warning. With a growl, Inu-Yasha sprang forward. Kagome found herself against the wall again, with an angry demon approaching quickly. "Catch!" Kagome automatically lifted her hand, and found a necklace in her hand. She glanced at Kaede, fear apparent in her eyes. "Put it around his neck, and then you may subdue him!"  
  
"What?!?" Kagome protested, but Inu-Yasha was close now. A smirk split his lips. "A few beads, subdue me? You've gone mad, old woman," he scoffed, and drew close, brandishing his claws.  
  
Kagome swallowed. Those claws removed any doubt she might have had that he was human. Human nails just didn't grow like that. Silently praying, she brought the necklace up and jammed it down over his neck.  
  
Which didn't do a bloody thing, of course. "Now what?!?" she shouted desperately at Kaede, as Inu-Yasha kept approaching.  
  
"Subdue him!"  
  
"Oh, that's a lot of help," she muttered. She cast desperately around for anything to help her. "Uh... uh..." She yelled the first thing that came to her mind, closing her eyes as those claws reached out for her. "Osuwari!"  
  
Startled, she opened her eyes as a crashing sound filled the room, and she looked down to see a flabbergasted Inu-Yasha plastered to the floor. "What the-" he demanded as he sat up, and looked at the girl.  
  
Kaede was trying not to laugh. "The beads, Inu-Yasha," she offered as an explanation. "By the way, you can't take them off," she added as the hanyou started pulling on the necklace.  
  
He glared at the two women, and started for the old priestess. "Why, you..."  
  
"Kagome?"  
  
"Osuwari!"  
  
She couldn't help but giggle at the stream of curse words that filled the little hut. 


	6. Stubborn InuYasha

Kagome fingered the jewel, glancing at Kaede. "Are you sure this is the Shikon no Tama? It looks just like a marble."  
  
There was a bark of laughter, and Kagome turned indignant eyes upon the source. "Why don't you just hand over that useless marble to me then?" Inu- Yasha asked, smirking at the girl.  
  
"Do I look that stupid?" Kagome asked, annoyed. She gave a pointed look at the prayer beads around his neck as he opened his mouth to answer. The half-demon subsided with a light grumble, sulking from his position on the floor.  
  
"Inu-Yasha, why are you still here?" Kaede asked. "Looking for an opportunity to steal the jewel?"  
  
"Glad to see you haven't lost your wits," the hanyou responded gamely, giving the old woman an annoyed look. "You haven't grown old just for show."  
  
Kaede sat down peacably by Kagome. "Now that the jewel's back in the posession of this village-"  
  
"It won't stay there," Inu-Yasha interjected, a look of grim pleasure on his face as he faced the two. "You'll have more demons than you can handle, all converging on this place within a matter of days. The jewel will be back in my hands in short order."  
  
Kaede gave him a pointed look. "What do you plan to do if a stronger demon gets ahold of the jewel?"  
  
Inu-Yasha rolled onto his back to look at the old woman. "I can handle any demon."  
  
"Confident, are we?" Kagome asked dryly.  
  
With a smirk, the hanyou flexed his claws in the air, not bothering to look in her direction. "Now, how confident are you?"  
  
Kagome groaned, and turned a pleading look on Kaede. "Do we really have to put up with him?"  
  
The old priestess scooped some soup into a bowl and handed it to her. "Our options are to hand over the jewel to him, or to put up with him. I'd certainly choose the latter." She set another bowl on the floor near Inu- Yasha, who glanced at it disdainfully.  
  
Kagome sighed. "Well, it'd help if he wasn't so cocky. I'm half-tempted to let him destroy the world, just so I don't have to listen to him brag anymore." She subsided upon noticing the look Kaede was giving her, and started eating her soup.  
  
"It would help matters if you two could get along," Kaede suggested peacably.  
  
Inu-Yasha snorted. "Get along with her? With a human? Who do you think I am?"  
  
"You did once," Kaede countered, starting on her own meal. "As I recall, you were quite frie-"  
  
"Shut up!" the hanyou snarled, turning towards her suddenly. "What do you know of it? Who are you, anyway?"  
  
"I am Kaede."  
  
He slammed a fist into the wall, buckling a portion of the wood inward. "I already know that, hag!"  
  
"I hope you're going to fix that," the priestess said calmly. She motioned towards the stew near Inu-Yasha again, who continued to ignore it and glare at her. "I was the younger sister of Kikyo. How much of your memory have you blocked?"  
  
Kagome watched as Inu-Yasha subsided, but still sulked in the corner. What was the entire story with this Kikyo? Kaede had told her of Inu-Yasha's theft of the jewel, and Kikyo's attempt to stop him, but there was more to this history than that. She wondered if she'd ever puzzle it out. As the two humans worked on finishing their meal, Kagome noticed Inu-Yasha's hand sneaking towards the bowl. When he thought no one was looking, he picked it up and began eating. Kagome hid a smile, and finished her meal. 


End file.
